How Jennifer Lopez's Go-To Abs Exercise Works Every Inch of Your Core

Jennifer Lopez may already have a song that raves about booties, but an ode to abs could be next—her ripped core is head-turning in the new video for her single Amor, Amor, Amor. One exercise she does to keep it strong: side-plank oblique crunches, also known as side-plank oblique twists or forearm side-plank twists.

The exercise works not only the obliques (side abs), but also the entire core, her trainer David Kirsch told Health. Of course, there's more than one exercise that goes into having visible abs, and other factors including nutrition and genetics play a major role in definition. Not to mention, it's part of Lopez's job to stay in such great shape, so it's not exactly fair to compare her results to the rest of the world. (For more on that, read Why It’s So Hard—and Sometimes Impossible—to Get Six-Pack Abs.)

Those disclaimers aside, side-plank oblique crunches are still an incredible exercise that everyone can include in their own fitness routine. It combines the benefits of a traditional side plank and a rotational movement into one amazing, multi-purpose exercise.

"There are some huge benefits to a side plank in general," Noam Tamir, C.S.C.S., founder of TS Fitness in NYC, tells SELF. "It's one of those great [foundational] exercises."

While side planks primarily work your obliques, they require your whole core to get involved to keep you stable, including the hard-to-target transverse abdominis (the muscles deep in your core) and your lower back. The work doesn't stop with your midsection, though. Side planks are a full-body exercise, because you're also using your glutes and leg muscles to stay upright, as well as your bottom shoulder and your lats (the largest muscles in your upper back).

While you're in a side plank, you're doing what's called an isometric exercise, which means your muscles are engaged while holding the same position. Isometric moves are excellent for building strength and stability, says Tamir—they may not look hard because you're not moving, but staying still does require some serious work (and mental fortitude).

Adding in the core rotation (more on how to do that below) brings even more benefits. You'll still be holding your side plank, but you're firing up your obliques even more as you crunch them towards the floor. Plus, your core has to work even harder to keep your hips from dropping or going side to side while you rotate.

While having a strong core in general is important for preventing pain and injury, rotational movements are particularly important to include. "They are very functional, because we're constantly rotating our bodies to turn," says Tamir. "They directly correlate to real-life movements."

Before you bring in the rotation, you should make sure you feel strong holding a side plank on its own. But when you've got that mastered, give this exercise a try.